author of nonfiction books and poetry for young readers

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Drawn from Nature

Happy April! Happy National Poetry Month! I’m planning on reviving my long-neglected blog this month with reviews of picture books, and use them as springboards for my own writing. One of the benefits of being a judge for the Cybils poetry award is that I’ve received a few new picture books to review. This week I’d like to introduce you to a favorite.

Have you ever flipped through the pages of a new book and been astonished at what the author created? That’s what the experience of looking at Drawn from Nature was for me. The book features intricate collages of plants and animals, each made from hundreds of pressed leaves and flowers. This visual feast is arranged as a journey through the seasons, beginning with the spring bird chorus, travelling through summer meadows and autumn fruits, and ending with a winter night. I can’t imagine the patience required to assemble these collages into creatures and scenes that seem to fly off the page. Take a look at this handsome owl (my scanning skills are not the finest, so you really need to view the book to get the full impact!)

Or this stunning fox:

The book opens with the sound and sight of early-morning birds singing to establish a territory and attract a mate. I hesitate to pair the visual beauty with my words. But since one of my goals in reviewing is to motivate my own writing, I’m giving it a try. Here’s a draft of a poem about the male Red-winged blackbirds that recently returned to Michigan. They squawk at my feeder in the morning and evening, when they are taking a break from setting up territories in the swamp that borders our yard.

Find Drawn from Nature at your library or bookstore and prepare to savor it and be inspired (thanks to Candlewick Press for sharing it with me) or check it out here. This is a book I would have pored over for hours when I was a kid, and then pressed some treasures and tried to make my own collages. Speaking of folks who like to make things, be sure to visit Amy at The Poem Farm who is hosting all of today’s poetry-month goodies.

I agree, the artwork is spectacular. (That owl is exquisite!) You collage just as beautifully with your words, Buffy. I love the sleek black uniform with the flashy red and gold epaulets and his commanding personality too! I can easily imagine what a fuss they must make in your neck of the woods.

Wow! That artwork is stunning. I could pore over it for hours now. Thank you for sharing it with us. Most of the birds in our yard are not as showy as your red-winged blackbird with his epaulets, but I do enjoy their chorus!

Oh, my! What a stunning collection. I simply have to have this book. You had me at that first collage…and then the second. Wow! I’ve been itching to try my hand at collage for a while now. I’m not sure how to start….except to jump in and keep trying new pieces until I get what I’m itching to create. This book is definitely inspiration for visual and word. Thank you!
And….
Spring Soldier is wonderful. I love how the colors of spring are from last fall and the militant tone of marked territory. I’ll bet my middle schoolers will love this one.

We must be on the same reviewers list–that’s a treat I didn’t expect! I press leaves every year, and have made designs on them with sharpies and then covered with modge-podge. Would be fun to make people with them too.

Have I told you my red winged blackbird story yet? When Tae was around 4, one day in early spring he went outside and came running back inside saying, “Mama! The birds are laughing!” I went out to find out what he heard. The red wings were back!